Scottish Executive

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessments have been made of the effectiveness of the current measures to tackle anti-social neighbours.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive commissions the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland to undertake an annual exercise to determine the use being made of evictions for anti-social behaviour and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. It has also commissioned a number of detailed evaluations of specific initiatives and the Sociable Neighbourhood National Co-ordinator is undertaking a systematic audit of policies and practices at the local level.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend measures to tackle anti-social neighbours.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive has taken action, in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, to extend the legislative remedies available through the introduction of "probationary" tenancies (a special variant of the short Scottish secure tenancy) and by suspending the right to buy for any tenants subject to recovery procedures. It also plans to use the forthcoming Criminal Justice Bill to introduce Anti-Social Behaviour Orders.

  The Scottish Executive is also encouraging good practice at the local level through the work of the Sociable Neighbourhood National Co-ordinator.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place between it, the Crown Office, local authorities and the police to ensure that anti-social behaviour proceedings are effective.

Iain Gray: Any such arrangements are agreed at the local level, although the Executive seeks to positively encourage multi-agency working through guidance and the work of the Sociable Neighbourhood National Co-ordinator.

Audiology

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all audiology departments are meeting the standards set out in The Good Practice Guidance for Adult Hearing Aid Fittings and Services .

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The wide-ranging review of audiology services initiated by the Executive will report its findings on this in the autumn. The research report recently released by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which collected anonymised data, included examination of the extent to which the Good Practice Guidance is being applied across the service and would indicate that not all audiology departments are currently meeting the standards.

Cancer

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the availability in the west of Scotland of capecitabine for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer is constrained by any budgetary considerations.

Malcolm Chisholm: Capecitabine is available on NHS prescription for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Decisions about its use depends on the clinical judgement of specialists experienced in the management of cancer.

Care of Elderly People

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to allow elderly patients to remain in their own homes.

Hugh Henry: There are a wide range of measures in place to allow elderly patients to remain in their own homes, including shopping, laundry, intensive home care and respite services.

  The Scottish Executive has made available to local authorities, £24 million this year, rising to £48 million in 2003-04 (an increase of 30% on current spending), to expand the range and quality of home care services, specifically to enable people to remain in their own homes.

Care of Elderly People

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average monthly cost is of long-term care for an elderly person (a) in hospital and (b) in a nursing home.

Hugh Henry: In 2000-01, the majority of local authorities paid an average of £346 per week for each individual placed in the care of a private nursing home. The net cost per in-patient week for geriatric continuing care in 2000-01 was £845.

Careers Scotland

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by Careers Scotland in ensuring that there is "good quality, unbiased information and advice about education and career opportunities in science" as detailed in the Science Strategy for Scotland .

Ms Wendy Alexander: From its establishment on 1 April, Careers Scotland will aim to provide high quality, impartial information and advice for Scots of all ages about education and career opportunities. This will include those available in the science sector.

Central Heating

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been made to date for free central heating installation in the Dumfries and Galloway area under its Central Heating Installation Programme; how many of these applications have been processed, and how many installations have been carried out in (a) the private sector, (b) the local authority sector and (c) housing associations.

Iain Gray: Four hundred and ninety-three applications have been made to Eaga, from households in the private sector in the Dumfries and Galloway postcode area. 309 of the 440 applications processed so far are eligible for grant and 101 jobs were allocated to Eaga's heating contractors. 16 installations have been completed and the others will be dealt with as soon as possible. Dumfries and Galloway Council and the housing associations in the area, advise that they have no stock which could be included in the programme.

Childcare

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SE2935/2000 of 14 November 2000, whether it has met its target of attracting 5,000 new workers into the childcare sector by 2002.

Cathy Jamieson: Between 1 October 1999 and 31 December 2001, 3,715 childcare workers were trained. We expect to meet the target of training 5,000 new childcare workers before the end of this calendar year.

Childcare

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what flexibility is built in to the qualifications framework for childcare workers in order to allow voluntary sector agencies to employ unqualified part-time workers.

Cathy Jamieson: The Executive's intention is to move to a position where all staff in centres providing childcare and early education for pre-school children either hold an appropriate qualification, are seeking accreditation of skills and experience, or are pursuing on-the-job-training. The Scottish Social Services Council will be responsible for taking much of this forward in due course.

  In the meantime, from 1 April 2002, the Commission for the Regulation of Care will be expected to require that all managers should be qualified in childcare, teaching or social work and as a minimum, at least half of the staff in any one facility should be qualified in childcare. "Qualified in childcare" is defined as holding any one of the qualifications mentioned in Working With Children.

  Within this context, staffing structures are a matter for employers.

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what stress prevention and management measures operate within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Mr Jim Wallace: The department is actively pursuing the Scottish Health at Work initiative; is working with its trade unions and the Scottish Executive to develop a stress management policy, and will be commissioning tailored training courses in stress prevention and management for its staff.

Digital Technology

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to change the definition of "universal access" in relation to broadband services.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to telecommunications regulation, which remains reserved to the UK Government.

Digital Technology

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to include the promotion of internet access through digital television within its broadband policies.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Digital television is one of a number of means of accessing the internet. The Scottish Executive's broadband strategy is not prescriptive of any one particular technology.

Digital Technology

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department of Trade and Industry on the need for the Office of Telecommunications to have a statutory duty to give due consideration to the broadband technology needs of people living in rural areas and of low-income consumers in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to telecommunications regulation, which remains reserved to the UK Government.

  The statutory duties of the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) were determined by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in the 1984 Telecommunications Act.

Digital Technology

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the EU that it should bring forward regulatory policy support for the roll out of broadband services in rural areas.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Telecommunications policy is reserved to the UK Government.

Digital Technology

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it has had at a UK level on the regulatory proposals and policy developments in respect of broadband services and whether it will detail any proposals which it has put forward and what the outcome was of such proposals.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has discussions with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including policy development regarding broadband services.

Digital Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when broadband services provided by Omne Communications Ltd in Dumfries and Galloway will be fully operational.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Omne Communications Ltd have stated that planned build for Dumfries and Galloway is scheduled for early 2003.

Digital Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs will be created in Dumfries and Galloway as a result of the roll out of broadband services provided by Omne Communications Ltd.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Omne Communications Ltd do not have any current plans to open an office in Dumfries and Galloway. However, when the construction of the network commences in this area, Omne expect indirect jobs will be created for construction and installation teams.

Digital Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive in which areas broadband services provided by Omne Communications Ltd will be available from 25 February 2002.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Omne Communications Ltd. offer broadband services in Irvine and Troon.

Drug Misuse

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) convictions in respect of each illegal drug type and (b) seizures of each such drug there were in each police authority area in (i) 1998-99, (ii) 1999-2000, (iii) 2000-01, and (iv) 2001-02.

Dr Richard Simpson: The available information is given in the following tables:

  Number of seizures of controlled drugs by police force and drug type, 1998-991

  1998

  


Police force2,3


All4 seizures


Cocaine


Heroin


Ecstasy


Amphet-amines


Cannabis


Other drugs




Central


829


8


73


20


52


727


34




Dumfries and Galloway


509


8


140


13


54


341


18




Fife


655


5


54


26


108


551


45




Grampian


1,682


36


270


45


213


1,329


160




Lothian and Borders


2,432


46


130


107


359


2,055


248




Northern


399


4


5


14


58


357


13




Strathclyde


10,045


134


1,709


179


1,102


7,355


1,349




Tayside


1,261


13


43


61


156


1,066


111




Scotland


17,812


254


2,424


465


2,102


13,781


1,978




  1999

  


Police force2,3


All4 seizures


Cocaine


Heroin


Ecstasy


Amphet-amines


Cannabis


Other drugs




Central


609


3


91


13


33


493


29




Dumfries and Galloway


415


3


132


11


36


271


17




Fife


537


2


59


23


84


432


23




Grampian


1,468


35


238


105


121


1,125


146




Lothian and Borders


2,762


67


207


177


359


2,275


280




Northern


649


6


21


33


72


566


21




Strathclyde


9,553


206


1,752


324


810


6,965


849




Tayside


1,080


6


31


65


110


919


67




Scotland


17,073


328


2,531


751


1,625


13,046


1,432




  Source: Home Office.

  Notes:

  1. Published data for 2000 are not yet available.

  2. Seizures from joint operations involving HM Customs and Excise and the police are generally recorded by HM Customs and Excise.

  3. Seizures made by the Scottish Crime Squad are recorded by the appropriate police force.

  4. As a seizure can involve more than one drug, figures for individual drugs cannot be added to produce totals.

  Persons with a charge proved in Scottish courts where the main offence was a drugs offence, by police force area and drug type, 1998-2000.

  1998

  


Police force area


Total number with a charge proved


Estimated percentage1,2 relating 
  to:




Cocaine


Heroin


Ecstasy


Amphet-amines


Cannabis


Other




Central


242


0


12


6


7


84


7




Dumfries and Galloway


182


1


20


4


15


70


8




Fife


325


1


7


6


22


72


10




Grampian


861


3


20


4


16


70


16




Lothian and Borders


841


2


3


6


21


80


13




Northern


382


1


1


2


20


87


2




Strathclyde


3,639


1


19


3


14


71


9




Tayside


446


2


4


7


16


78


12




Scotland


6,918


2


14


4


16


73


10




  1999

  


Police force area


Total number with a charge proved


Estimated percentage1,2 relating 
  to:




Cocaine


Heroin


Ecstasy


Amphet-amines


Cannabis


Other




Central


258


3


16


4


9


79


6




Dumfries and Galloway


172


2


31


4


12


65


3




Fife


295


0


11


5


15


78


4




Grampian


650


5


25


7


14


64


6




Lothian and Borders


789


3


8


7


18


82


7




Northern


311


2


2


8


19


81


2




Strathclyde


3,421


2


27


3


13


64


14




Tayside


504


2


4


8


11


80


7




Scotland


6,400


2


21


5


14


69


11




  2000

  


Police force area


Total number with a charge proved


Estimated percentage1,2 relating 
  to:




Cocaine


Heroin


Ecstasy


Amphet-amines


Cannabis


Other




Central


233


0


23


5


9


67


2




Dumfries and Galloway


129


0


34


5


9


56


6




Fife


148


0


16


7


13


77


3




Grampian


442


5


21


14


6


65


5




Lothian and Borders


732


2


11


8


17


81


6




Northern


266


2


4


9


8


86


2




Strathclyde


2,965


3


24


4


10


65


11




Tayside


468


2


3


10


7


79


6




Scotland


5,383


3


19


6


10


70


8




  Notes:

  1. Estimated from Home Office data.

  2. As an offence can involve more than one drug type, row percentages may sum to more than 100.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people under the age of 16 have been treated for drug addiction outwith Scotland in each of the past five years and at what cost.

Dr Richard Simpson: Information on how many young people under the age of 16 have been treated for drug addiction outwith Scotland is not held centrally.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the contribution of diazepam to 146 drug deaths and to over half of the 196 deaths involving heroin/morphine in 2000.

Dr Richard Simpson: Enforcement bodies are continuing their efforts to reduce the illicit availability of drugs, and seizures of benzodiazepines, including diazepam, have increased throughout the 1990s.

  The UK Health Departments' Drug misuse and Dependence-Guidelines on Clinical Management set out guidance for clinicians on the prescribing of diazepam, including patient monitoring, checking for signs of polydrug misuse and liaison with dispensing pharmacists. The procedures are intended to reduce the risks to patients.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether diazepam is widely available to illicit drug users; if so, why and what plans it has to reduce such availability.

Dr Richard Simpson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23846 today.

  Sources of diazepam include sold or stolen prescriptions and illegal imports. The number of seizures of benzodiazepines across Scotland was higher in 1999 (663) than in 1998 (647). The reclassification earlier this year of diazepam from Schedule 4 part II (Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1985) to a revised Schedule 4 Part I (Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001) makes it an offence to possess diazepam without a prescription, which will help the police in reducing diversion of the drug.

  Clinicians can prescribe diazepam to illicit drug users under a long-term benzodiazepine withdrawal programme, and guidance is set out in Drug misuse and Dependence-guidelines on Clinical Management.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce trials in prescribing heroin under medical supervision, instead of methadone, in order to address and reduce drug addiction.

Name of MinisterDr Richard Simpson:: Prescribing heroin under medical supervision is a reserved matter. The Department of Health and the Home Office have held a consensus event reviewing current guidelines on prescribing and have asked the National Treatment Agency to take forward this work with a view to developing further guidance on best practice by the end of 2002. This guidance would also apply in Scotland.

Elections

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will look favourably on Stirling Council's request to hold the Teith Ward by-election by postal ballot only.

Peter Peacock: Stirling's application to hold an all-postal ballot in Teith Ward was approved on 27 February.

Enterprise

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken steps to promote the European Sixth Framework Research and Technological Development Programme amongst universities.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Practical assistance with proposals for the European Framework Programmes is provided by Innovation Relay Centres (IRC) Scotland. IRCs in Scotland are jointly funded by the European Commission and Scottish Enterprise, and work with Scottish universities and SMEs providing assistance and advice on the preparation of proposals for the programmes. The IRCs also help find suitable collaborative partners for proposals and encourage universities to partner with Scottish companies.

  A Scottish FP6 Focus Group has been formed by the Scottish Executive with representation from Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scotland Europa, Scottish Enterprise Cluster Teams and Innovation Relay Centres Scotland. The aim of the focus group is to develop and implement a Scottish framework for FP6 promotion and support in order to maximise Scottish involvement in FP6 projects. Scottish universities are one of a number of organisations who are expected to benefit from this initiative.

Enterprise Bill

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government about the Enterprise Bill and, in particular, the role of the Scottish courts in dealing with insolvency and what the outcome was of any such discussions.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry, on the corporate insolvency aspects of this bill, to ensure that reserved matters affecting Scotland and devolved aspects of reserved matters are fully explored and handled according to the legislative requirements for these. The proposals to be contained in the forthcoming Enterprise Bill, make no direct changes to the jurisdiction of Scottish courts in corporate insolvency.

Europe

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it had in developing a partnership between the Strathclyde European Partnership and its equivalent in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

Peter Peacock: There is no formal relationship between Strathclyde European Partnership and Saxony-Anhalt. Officials in Saxony-Anhalt have approached a number of other regional bodies, including Strathclyde European Partnership, with a view to developing an application, under INTERREG III C, on the themes of Innovation and the Information Society. The proposal is at a very early stage. The Scottish Executive has had no involvement in this development to date.

European Funding

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive who administers the European Interreg funding programme.

Peter Peacock: Scotland participates in four INTERREG IIIB (Trans-national co-operation) programmes. Each is administered by a programme secretariat based in the programme area.

  Details are as follows:

  Atlantic Area, Programme Secretariat, Poitiers, France

  Northern Periphery Secretariat, Copenhagen

  North Sea Region Secretariat, Viborg, Denmark

  North West Europe, Programme Secretariat, Lille, France

  Scotland may also participate in INTERREG IIIC, which is designed to allow areas not eligible for IIIB funding, to participate in inter-regional co-operation. The Secretariat is also in Lille.

European Funding

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Interreg (a) (b) and (c) funding it has received since 2000 and how much it is due to receive during the current structural fund programme for 2000-06.

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what current projects (a) receive and (b) are due to receive Interreg funding during the current structural fund programme for 2000-06.

Peter Peacock: The INTERREG III Community Initiative has three strands. Strand A concerns cross-border co-operation; B trans-national; and C inter-regional, through small pilot projects.

  Scotland can participate in IIIB and IIIC. Programmes have either only recently been approved by the European Commission or await approval. As such, no awards of grant have yet been made, nor have specific projects been identified for funding..

European Funding

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what current projects (a) receive and (b) are due to receive Interreg funding during the current structural fund programme for 2000-06.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23785.

Fisheries

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has in place to monitor the decommissioning programme for fishing vessels.

Ross Finnie: The physical process of decommissioning fishing vessels under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001 is monitored through site visits/inspections by officers authorised under the scheme, in consultation with environmental interests and control authorities in other member states where appropriate. Financial aspects of the scheme are subject to normal Executive audit procedures and European Commission scrutiny.

Fisheries

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vessels have been decommissioned under the European Union's current scheme.

Ross Finnie: There is currently no centrally run European Union fishing vessel decommissioning scheme. However, as of 11 March, 102 Scottish vessels have been offered a decommissioning grant under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001 - 13 have completed the process and have been scrapped. Similar decommissioning schemes are also being run in England and Northern Ireland.

Freight

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assurances it can give to the people of Colonsay over the future of freight services to the island.

Lewis Macdonald: Caledonian MacBrayne currently offers reliable and affordable ferry services, providing for passengers, cars and freight traffic, to Colonsay and other island communities in the Clyde and Western Isles. We are fully committed to protecting fares and levels of service in the forthcoming tendering of Clyde and Western Isles ferry services.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) Health Education Board for Scotland and (b) Public Health Institute for Scotland have planned in the way of health promotion in respect of coronary heart disease in 2002-03; what budget has been allocated for such promotion, and how these bodies are working with their NHS colleagues to ensure that there is effective follow-up monitoring after any such health promotion campaigns.

Malcolm Chisholm: During 2002-03, the Health Education Board for Scotland's ( HEBS') approach to coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention will continue to be through programmes focussing on behavioural aspects such as stopping smoking and promoting physical activity and healthy eating. One of the main strands of this activity will be a continuation of the award-winning "Big 3" (CHD, cancer and stroke) advertising campaign, encouraging adults to think about making small changes in their lifestyle, which are easy to achieve, easy to maintain and can have such a beneficial impact on their health. HEBS will continue to track and monitor these adverts and develop programmes as appropriate, using both qualitative and quantitative research. NHS boards are key partners for all HEBS work.

  During the course of the next financial year, HEBS estimate that expenditure on CHD/cancer and stroke will be in excess of £1.5 million.

  The Public Health Institute for Scotland's remit does not extend to the design and delivery of health promotion campaigns. It will, however, be creating a Scotland-wide learning network on heart health during 2002.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what comparative information it has about health spending per capita on the promotion and treatment of coronary heart disease in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) other countries in the European Union and how such spending compares with spending by the NHS in Scotland in each case.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what training and education in addressing coronary heart disease issues is received by primary care nurses and what money has been allocated to each NHS board for the provision of such training and education.

Hugh Henry: All primary care nurses receive education in relation to health promotion principles, nutrition and primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, as part of their post-registration specialist practice qualification. In addition, there are a wide variety of short courses and modules, specifically aimed at primary care nurses around the country.

  Both the Specialist Practice Programmes and short courses, are funded by each trust's own post registration budget, according to local priority and need.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of primary care nurses working in the field of coronary heart disease is adequate and what action it is taking in respect of this matter.

Hugh Henry: All primary care nurses are involved in the management and prevention of coronary heart disease.

  Work relating to coronary heart disease mainly falls within the remit of practice nurses (chronic disease management), health visitors (primary and secondary prevention) and district nurses (acute management and supportive care). There are approximately 1,048 practice nurses, 1,464 health visitors and 1,340 district nurses.

  Decisions regarding staffing levels for primary care nurses and the need for any specialist posts in the field of coronary heart disease, are the responsibility of NHS boards. Figures on the numbers of specialist posts are not held centrally.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether statins have been identified as a means of reducing the occurrence of coronary heart disease and preventing people from developing complications following a major coronary event and what action it and NHS boards are taking in order to ensure that any patients who need such treatment will receive it.

Malcolm Chisholm: SIGN Guideline 40, on Lipids and the Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease, indicates that for primary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD), statins are the drugs of first choice for lowering the level of fat circulating in the blood. The guideline is very clear, however, that lifestyle measures, in particular stopping smoking, eating better and exercising more, remain the first priority in the primary prevention of CHD.

  In relation to secondary prevention following a coronary event, a local protocol for the prescription of statins is one of the essential criteria in the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland's standards for secondary prevention, following an acute myocardial infarction. The board's standards are mandatory across NHSScotland.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurse consultants specialising in coronary heart disease there are in each NHS board area and what action is being taken in respect of this matter.

Hugh Henry: New nurse/midwife consultant posts were introduced in Scotland in spring 2000 and 13 were recommended for establishment. None of these posts were for nurse consultants specialising in coronary heart disease.

  Following the nurse recruitment and retention convention in November 2001, a commitment was made to create a further 18 nurse/midwife consultant posts in Scotland and guidance has been sent out to the service encouraging their introduction.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to implement in all NHS board areas the initiative launched in the NHS Lanarkshire area whereby defibrillators have been placed in main shopping areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke Reference Group is currently considering the evidence on the effectiveness of defibrillators in public places, including the Lanarkshire initiative, as part of the national strategy it is developing for coronary heart disease and stroke.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans for (a) the Health Technology Board for Scotland and (b) the Scottish Medicines Consortium to consider statins during the course of 2002.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) have no plans to consider statins during 2002.

  However, in recent years SIGN has published two clinical guidelines, in which the prescribing of statins was covered (SIGN 40: Lipids and the primary prevention of coronary heart disease and SIGN 41: Secondary prevention of coronary heart disease following myocardial infarction). Both guidelines can be found at:

  www.sign.ac.uk.

Health

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether tonsillectomies are currently being carried out.

Malcolm Chisholm: Following the recent suspension of non-emergency adenotonsillar surgery, to allow an audit to be carried out in to the safety of single use instruments, the Chief Medical Officer wrote out to the service on 15 February, advising that the audit had shown there was no significant increase in secondary haemorrhage, following the introduction of single use equipment. Routine adenoid and tonsillar surgery was, therefore, recommenced from 11 March.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many research projects have been carried out into attention deficit hyperactive disorder with part or full funding from pharmaceutical companies in the last ten years, broken down by date, authors and financial supporters.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it has to the control of medicines.

Malcolm Chisholm: The control of medicines is a reserved matter. The Scottish Executive are consulted on matters relating to the licensing and control of medicines under the Medicines Act 1968.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what definition of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is used when determining government guidelines on the disorder; who carried out the necessary trials to conclude that ADHD is a recognised condition, and on what date such recognition was formalised and by whom.

Malcolm Chisholm: Clinical guidelines are prepared by expert working groups, who use the best available definitions of a given condition world-wide. Such definitions are usually prepared by professional bodies, though the World Health Organisation (WHO) issues a publication called International Classification of Diseases (ICD) which is regularly revised.

  The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guideline on Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders in Children and Young People, published in June 2001, gives detailed advice on the definition, diagnosis and treatment of these conditions, informed by more than 150 publications, including the WHO classification.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is definitive evidence that attention deficit hyperactive disorder is a genetic or organic disease; where any such evidence can be accessed, and whether a copy of any such evidence will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Malcolm Chisholm: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex condition which has been the subject of a considerable body research world-wide. While there is evidence that the condition may have an organic basis and that there could be a genetic contribution, there is no definitive proof that these are the only factors.

  The Department of Health maintains a National Research Register, with details of all on-going and recent research into a wide variety of medical conditions, including ADHD. This is available on regularly updated CD-ROM in the Parliament's Reference Centre and online at:

  http://www.update-software.com/nrr/CLIBINET.EXE?A=1andU=1001andP=10001.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence is being used to support the use of methylphenidates in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder; whether any research has been carried out into any possible side effects and long-term damage to children who are prescribed methylphenidates, and which relevant research programmes have been consulted and used to provide guidance for the prescription of methylphenidates.

Malcolm Chisholm: In deciding whether to prescribe methylphenidate, for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), clinicians would be expected to take account of advice and guidance about the drug, including the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 52 on ADHD and the advice issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in October 2000.

  The National Research Register (NRR), records two recently completed research projects on side effects and long-term effects to children who have taken methylphenidate. Details of these projects are available from the NRR, a copy of which is in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17404).

  Details of the relevant research programmes used to provide guidance for the prescription of methylphenidate, are given in the SIGN Guideline and the NICE advice.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a project will be initiated to research attention deficit hyperactive disorder without the use of funding from pharmaceutical companies.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Executive Health Department has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health services and patient care within the NHS in Scotland.

  CSO has no plans to commission research into attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), but would be pleased to consider proposals for research into ADHD, which would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to support the 20% of UK clinical research which is stated by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry to be based in Scotland in order to ensure long-term stability for the industry and diversity of the economy.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive supports the conclusions of the Pharmaceutical Industry Competitiveness Task Force report of March 2001, which seek to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of clinical research. The Executive will continue to liaise with the Department of Health about progressing issues jointly where appropriate.

  Issues more appropriately progressed separately in a Scottish context will be taken forward through the Pharmaceutical Liaison Group. This group, chaired by the Chief Scientist, is a forum designed to allow discussion of matters of shared interest to the Scottish Executive Health Department, NHSScotland and pharmaceutical interests. The group plans to meet next in April 2002.

Higher Education

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for (a) chemistry, (b) physics and (c) biological sciences degree courses were received by higher education institutions by the closing date in each of the last five years.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The number of applications to full-time degree courses in chemistry, physics and biological sciences, received by Scottish higher education institutions through UCAS over the last five years has been:

  

 

1997


1998


1999


2000


2001




Chemistry


3,008


2,802


2,580


2,248


2,185




Physics


2,423


2,203


2,057


1,884


1,964




Biological Sciences


13,460


12,147


11,826


11,254


12,353




  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

Housing

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering making the promotion of home safety a statutory requirement for local authorities.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no plans to make the promotion of home safety a statutory requirement for local authorities.

Housing

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the ballot on housing stock transfer in Dumfries and Galloway will take place.

Ms Margaret Curran: This will be a matter for Dumfries and Galloway Council, once it has submitted a transfer proposal to the Executive and received "in principle" approval to formally consult tenants.

Hutters

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1573 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 September 1999, whether the evaluation of research into proposed legislation on the protection of hutters has been concluded and, if so, what the findings were.

Mr Jim Wallace: The research on Huts and Hutters in Scotland was published in May 2000 and can be accessed on the Scottish Executive website. The responses received to the consultation exercise, carried out last year, are being considered in the light of that research and the report of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee.

Justice

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who the members of the Plotnikoff and Woolfson Report Implementation Group are; when the implementation group has met; when it next expects to meet in the current year, and when it expects to complete its work.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Plotnikoff and Woolfson Report was commissioned to assist the Lord Advocate's Working Group on Child Witness Support. The membership of the Child Witness Support Implementation Group, which is taking forward the working group's recommendations, comprises officials of the Scottish Executive, including the Crown Office, and the Scottish Children's Reporters Administration. It met in September, October, and November 2001 and in January 2002. It will meet again in April.

  Regarding the completion of its work, I refer the member to the answer given to S1O-4737 on 28 February 2002.

Justice

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in improving the opportunities for victims to participate in the criminal justice system.

Mr Jim Wallace: Following the recent consultation, I am pleased to announce our decision to proceed to pilot Victims' Statements in Scotland. This meets a commitment given in the Scottish Strategy for Victims to improve opportunities for victims to participate in the criminal justice system, by giving them the chance to set out the impact of the crime on them. A summary of the responses to the consultation is being made available to the Parliament's Reference Centre today.

Local Government

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish an estimate of the volume of daily transactions by local authorities on the money market.

Peter Peacock: The information requested is not held centrally.

Local Government

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it has had in the development of sector skills councils in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Sector Skills Councils will be developed by employers as UK-wide organisations, with support from a new UK-wide Sector Skills Development Agency. They will be licensed jointly by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and the Lifelong Learning Ministers in the devolved administrations. The Scottish Executive will be fully involved in the licensing process to ensure that Scotland's interests are covered.

Local Government

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22872 by Iain Gray on 22 February 2002, whether the £3 million per annum additional resources for the provision of money advice will be (a) ring-fenced for debt advice services within local authority areas and (b) used for genuinely new services.

Iain Gray: Councils will have the flexibility to use these resources alongside their existing expenditure on debt advice services, without formal ring-fencing. However, it will be a condition of allocating the funding that individual authorities demonstrate how the resources will be used to deliver enhanced debt advice provision.

Motor Vehicles

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current procedures for the removal of abandoned vehicles from residential areas are sufficiently streamlined and swift.

Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-19610 on 5 December 2001, which explained that the Executive would be consulting on this matter. The consultation closed on 1 February 2002.

  The responses are currently being considered.

Museums

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the final report on the National Audit of Museums will be published.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Scottish Museums Councils are responsible for publishing the final report of the National Audit of museum and gallery collections, buildings and services. We expect the report will be published in the summer.

Museums

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied in the awarding of special grants from the Strategic Change Fund to industrial museums.

Dr Elaine Murray: The National Cultural Strategy committed the Executive to initiate a national audit of collections in museums and galleries, beginning with the industrial museums. Resources of £250,000 were made available for the audit and an interim report was published in October 2001. In addition, a Strategic Change Fund of £3 million over three years was announced for the sector. In December 2000, the Executive allocated £1.26 million of this fund over three years towards the running costs of the Scottish Fisheries Museum, the Scottish Maritime Museum and the Scottish Mining Museum in recognition of their financial difficulties. A condition of the package was that the local authorities involved would maintain their level of support over the same three-year period. The three industrial museums were accepted as museums of national importance on the strength of evidence from a number of independent studies and expert advice from the National Museums of Scotland.

Museums

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received regarding funding from (a) the Scottish Museums Council and (b) individual museums.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Scottish Executive has awarded an increase in funding of £850,000 over the three years 2001-02 to 2003-04 to the Scottish Museums Council. The Scottish Museums Council has made a bid to the Executive for additional funding for ICT development to enable them to provide more support for the non-national museum sector.

  We have received representations on funding from six individual non-national museums.

  The Scottish Executive is responsible for the National Museums and Galleries; the responsibility for non-national museums rests with local agencies and local authorities, which have statutory responsibility to provide cultural facilities for the residents in their areas.

NHS Staff

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21205 by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 February 2002, what the average number of available staffed beds was in (a) acute specialities and (b) acute surgical specialities per 1,000 population in each NHS board area in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2001.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the number of beds per 1,000 population, in each NHS board area in the years 2000 and 2001. It is not meaningful to make comparisons between individual boards, because these figures do not take account of differences in the underlying healthcare needs of the population living in different NHS board areas, nor do they take account of the extent to which hospitals in one area may treat patients from neighbouring NHS board areas.

  NHSiS - Average available staffed beds1; by health board of treatment, rate per 1,000 population

  


Year Ending


31 December 2000


31 December 2001p




Acute Rate2


Acute Surgical Rate


Acute Rate2


Acute Surgical Rate




Scotland


3.2


1.2


3.2


1.2




Argyll and Clyde


3.1


1.1


3.1


1.0




Ayrshire and Arran


3.0


1.1


3.0


1.1




Borders


2.5


0.9


2.5


0.8




Dumfries and Galloway


2.5


1.1


2.6


1.1




Fife


2.3


0.7


2.3


0.8




Forth Valley


2.7


1.1


2.7


1.1




Grampian


3.0


1.3


3.0


1.3




Greater Glasgow


4.4


1.7


4.4


1.7




Highland


3.5


1.4


3.5


1.4




Lanarkshire


2.8


1.1


2.7


1.0




Lothian


3.2


1.1


3.2


1.1




Orkney


1.1


1.1


1.0


1.0




Shetland


2.6


1.2


2.9


1.1




Tayside


3.5


1.3


3.4


1.3




Western Isles


5.0


1.6


4.8


1.5




  P Provisional

  Notes:

  1. Includes NHS beds in joint-user and contractual hospitals

  2. Includes acute surgical, acute medical beds and geriatric medicine excluding long stay.

NHS Waiting Lists

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any waiting lists for consultations on psychological services have been closed; if so, which waiting lists have been closed; when any such waiting lists were closed, and how long any such waiting lists are likely to remain closed.

Malcolm Chisholm: An audit of NHS trusts, conducted in December last year, revealed restrictions to a very small number of out-patient waiting lists. The following list gives names of NHS trusts which identified waiting lists for psychological services which had been closed:

  Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust;

  Lanarkshire Primary Care NHS Trust;

  Lomond and Argyll Primary Care NHS Trust, and

  Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Primary Care NHS Trust.

  Following the audit, the Chief Executive of NHSScotland and the Chief Medical Officer issued guidance to the Health Service in Scotland instructing NHS Chief Executives to ensure that no patient who has been referred for assessment, or treatment, is refused admission to an appropriate waiting list.

NHS Waiting Times

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to health boards about tackling the backlog of tonsillectomies.

Malcolm Chisholm: Routine tonsil and adenoid surgery, performed with single-use instruments, re-commenced with effect from 11 March 2002.

  The National Waiting Times Unit, which I established earlier this year, is working with NHSScotland to tackle the lengthy waits for routine tonsil and adenoid surgery which have built up, whilst concerns over patient health and safety and issues around surgical instruments were resolved.

National Parks

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22504 by Peter Peacock on 13 February 2002, when the dedicated website for marketing the new Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park will be operational.

Peter Peacock: The dedicated website ( www.justoutstanding.co.uk ) has been operational since mid-November 2001 and will be registered with a search engine as soon as possible.

Office of the Accountant in Bankruptcy

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any changes proposed to the structure of the Office of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Accountant in Bankruptcy will become an Executive Agency of the Scottish Executive on 2 April 2002. In many ways the office already operates along agency principles and there will be no change to the statutory functions of the Accountant in Bankruptcy or to his status as an independent statutory officer.

  This change will clarify the accountability of the office to both the Scottish Parliament and to Scottish ministers. It will also formalise relationships between the office and the other parts of the Scottish Executive.

  All Accountant in Bankruptcy staff are civil servants within the Scottish Executive and will continue to be employed on civil service terms and conditions of service.

  Copies of the agency's Framework Document are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 20181).

Police Act 1997

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average the registration of childcare workers takes under Part V of the Police Act 1997.

Cathy Jamieson: Childcare services will be registered by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001. As part of the registration process, childcare providers will be required to obtain a criminal record check on all new employees under Part V of the Police Act 1997. This check will be carried out by Disclosure Scotland (part of the Scottish Criminal Record Office) which will aim to issue the certificates within 10 days of receipt of applications.

Pre-School Education

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding is available to ensure quality and choice in pre-school provision in rural areas.

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what innovative and imaginative methods are being used to meet the needs of pre-school children in rural areas.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23305.

Pre-School Education

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to help local authorities investigate innovative techniques for pre-school provision in rural areas.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23305.

Pre-School Education

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources are available to families seeking pre-school provision in intermediate and remote rural areas.

Cathy Jamieson: The provision of pre-school education in rural areas is the responsibility of local authorities, working with partner providers in the private and voluntary sector. To take account of the additional cost of pre-school provision in rural areas, the pre-school education grant, which from April 2002 will be re-integrated into the local government settlement, includes a rural weighting. For 2002-03, this rural weighting will be worth £6.4 million.

  Families are not provided with additional resources to obtain part-time pre-school education places for three- and four-year-olds, since from 1 April 2002, local authorities in all areas of the country will be under a duty to secure these places at no cost to the parent or guardian.

  The Executive encourages the identification and dissemination of good practice, in meeting the need for pre-school provision in rural areas. The Executive is therefore funding two themes of Children in Scotland's programme Growing Up in Rural Scotland. This programme includes a series of seminars which are intended to assist local authorities, childcare partnerships, pre-school providers and other organisations in providing quality pre-school education in rural areas.

Pre-School Education

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis the higher per capita costs for pre-school provision in local authorities with large rural populations are calculated.

Cathy Jamieson: Twelve local authorities are considered as delivering pre-school education in "very rural" areas, i.e. areas where more than 15% of the population live in communities of less than 1,000. The distribution methodology used in respect of the rural element, took account of population share of three- and four-year-olds in those 12 authorities.

Pre-School Education

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22004 by Cathy Jamieson on 31 January 2002, whether it will give a breakdown of the £6.4 million rural weighting by local authority and per school place in each local authority.

Cathy Jamieson: Twelve local authorities are considered as delivering pre-school education in "very rural" areas, i.e. areas where more than 15% of the population live in communities of less than 1,000.

  The "rural" allocations which form part of the 2002-03 local government settlement are shown in the following table. The distribution methodology used took account of the population share of three- and four-year-olds in the 12 authorities concerned.

  


Local Authority


Rural Grant




Aberdeenshire


£1,348,000




Angus


£370,000




Argyll and Bute


£431,000




Dumfries and Galloway


£827,000




Eilean Siar


£255,000




Highland


£1,207,000




Moray


£310,000




Orkney


£184,000




Perth and Kinross


£489,000




Scottish Borders


£506,000




Shetland


£258,000




Stirling


£242,000




Scotland


£6,427,000

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is currently any shortage of prison officers and, if so, what the shortage is.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  There is no shortage of prison officers.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfactory (a) that on 18 February 2002 the gymnasium at HM Prison Kilmarnock was staffed by one supervisor with no prison officer in attendance and relying on the security camera system and (b) that this should regularly be the case.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfactory that on 18 February 2002 the woodwork shed at HM Prison Kilmarnock was staffed by one supervisor for 20 inmates and whether this level of supervision is adequate given that there are blind spots in the security camera system.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfactory that on 18 February 2002 the welding shed at HM Prison Kilmarnock was staffed by one supervisor for 27 inmates and whether this level of supervision is adequate given that there are blind spots in the security camera system.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  It is SPS policy not to discuss matters of internal security in any prison establishment. Security matters, including supervision, are a matter for the operators of HMP Kilmarnock. SPS is satisfied with the performance of the establishment.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service has at any time given instructions that staffing levels at HM Prison Kilmarnock be reduced.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the contract for HM Prison Kilmarnock will be placed in the public domain.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The contract was published on 8 March.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-22460 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 February 2002, why the restructuring of prisoner escort arrangements will result in the Scottish Prison Service needing about 200 fewer prison officer posts, given previous statements that the contracting out of the escorting of prisoners would make prison officers available for in-prison duties and, for example, result in fewer "lock-ups".

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  Once the new escorting contract is in place, the posts of those SPS staff who are currently involved in escorting prisoners will no longer be required by SPS, for that purpose. Some staff are scheduled to escorting duties; others have to be drawn from other duties, often at short notice.

  The latter is the main cause of disruption to regimes and routines of prisons, including withdrawing staff from in-prison duties. The new service will mean that the main cause of disruption will cease, allowing these staff to be available for in-prison duties, for all or most of the time.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates to be the cost of catering services to the Scottish Prison Service in 2002-03.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No estimates for 2002-03 have yet been set.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost of catering services was to the Scottish Prison Service in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) to date in the current financial year.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  (a) £7.2 million

  (b) £6.8 million

  (c) The cost of catering services for the current year 2001-02 is not yet available.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Nalorex and Subatex are available to all prisoners when deemed appropriate to address their drug and/or alcohol addictions.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The prescribing of medication in relation to substance misuse is a matter for the individual medical professionals concerned.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to provide access to suitable detoxification and rehabilitation facilities for all prisoners who want to stop their drug and/or alcohol addictions.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

  In March 2000, SPS launched its drug strategy, Partnership and Co-ordination. In February 2001, its updated Health Care Standard, Substitute and Detoxification Prescribing was published.

  Work is currently under way to develop a similar standard for alcohol withdrawals.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all prisoners with mental health problems are receiving adequate and appropriate support while in prison.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  All prisoners benefit from the services of appropriately qualified health and social care professionals who, among other things, work with those prisoners suffering from mental health problems.

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is currently sufficient availability of forensic and clinical psychology services for prisoners; if not, where any shortages of these services exist, what action is being taken to reduce them, and whether there is any risk to the public from any such shortages given the role such services play in risk assessment of prisoners.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  There are currently sufficient forensic psychology services for prisoners, with further developments planned for 2002-03.

  Against a national shortage, the Scottish Prison Service is currently seeking to recruit further clinical psychologists to fill vacant posts.

  There is no risk to public safety, given the input of both forensic and clinical psychology input, to prisoner risk assessment and management.

Public Appointments

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the appointment of Borders NHS Board members announced on 9 November 2001, whether Mr Tony Taylor, Mrs Eileen McDermott and Dr Ian Lowles have been involved in any political activity within the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20382 on 10 December 2002, in which I have already provided the information requested.

  For convenience, I confirm that neither Mr Anthony Taylor, Chair of Borders NHS Board, nor Mrs Eileen McDermott, Staff Side Chair of Borders Area Partnership Forum, nor Dr Ian Lowles, Chair of Borders Area Clinical Forum, has been involved in any political activity within the last five years.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available in respect of the redevelopment of Waverley Station, what form that funding will take and from what budget it will be allocated.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive, in partnership with the Strategic Rail Authority, is currently considering several options for the redevelopment of Waverley Station. Funding issues will be addressed as part of that process.

Rail Network

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the final report of the MVA study into the benefits of reopening the Stirling - Alloa - Kincardine rail line.

Lewis Macdonald: I received the final report of MVA's Stirling - Alloa - Kincardine Rail Line Reopening Benefit Study earlier this month. Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

  The report demonstrates that the project will have significant benefits by reconnecting Alloa to the national rail network; by taking freight trains off the Forth Bridge and improving passenger rail services between Fife and Edinburgh; and by reducing the cost of shipping coal to Longannet Power Station. The report concludes that for both the freight-only and combined passenger and freight options the benefits outweigh the costs.

  I am therefore releasing up to £2 million from Clackmannanshire Council's Public Transport Fund (PTF) award to allow the council and other partners in the project to undertake more detailed costings of the works required; to promote the necessary Parliamentary Order to construct the link, and to put together a funding package to complete the project securing contributions from those who will benefit from the new services.

  This is an important project with strategic benefits for the Scottish rail network. I have therefore asked my officials to work very closely with Clackmannanshire Council, Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley, the Strategic Rail Authority and other partners promoting the project to ensure this project is delivered as early as possible.

  Today's announcement also demonstrates that we are committed to delivering rail infrastructure improvements despite the current difficulties facing Railtrack.

Roads

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of upgrading the A9 to dual carriageway for the entire section from Perth to Inverness.

Lewis Macdonald: It is not the Executive's policy to dual the whole length of the A9 between Perth and Inverness, and no recent estimate of the costs has been made. However, a study commissioned in 1993 estimated these costs at £281 million at 1994 prices.

Rural Development

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times its Ministerial Committee on Rural Development has met, what the date of each meeting was, what items were discussed at each meeting and who attended each meeting.

Ross Finnie: Thirteen meetings of the Ministerial Committee on Rural Development were held during the period from 1 September 1999 to November 2001: on 1 September, 5 October, and 25 November 1999; 31 January, 13 March, 5 April, 6 September and 8 November 2000; 30 January, 26 March, 14 June, 11 September and 14 November 2001. In January 2002, the name of the committee was changed to the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Development, with the following membership: the Minister for Environment and Rural Development, the Minister for Social Justice, the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, the Minister for Finance and Public Services, Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development and the Deputy Minister for Tourism Culture and Sport. Details of the membership of Cabinet Sub-Committees are available on the Scottish Executive website. So far this year the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Development has met once, on 5 February 2002.

  All meetings discussed a variety of issues that impact on Rural Development in Scotland.

  As indicated in the Guide to Collective Decision Making, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 5884) and on the Scottish Executive website, the Executive operates on the basis of collective responsibility and does not disclose details of the internal processes through which decisions have been made. For that reason, the Executive does not normally comment on which ministers attended specific meetings.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full costs were of printing, publishing and distributing its Appointments to Non-Departmental Public Bodies in Scotland of February 2002.

Mr Andy Kerr: The total cost of printing, publishing and distributing the Annual Report on Appointments to Non-Departmental Public Bodies in Scotland was £2,900. The report is published in accordance with the recommendations of the First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (the Nolan, now the Wicks Committee) which are enshrined in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice.

Scottish Executive Staff

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of the Faculty of Actuaries are employed by or on secondment to the Executive.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive does not employ any actuaries.

Scottish Executive Staff

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many chartered accountants are employed by or on secondment to it.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive employs 61 qualified accountants throughout its core and its agencies. All are members of various chartered bodies.

Scottish Executive Staff

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered medical practitioners are employed by or on secondment to it.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive currently employs 12 registered medical practitioners with a further seven being seconded in.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it is intended that payments will be made to those eligible under the Scottish Bus Group pension scheme.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive's timetable for the payment process to begin is dependent upon the formal wind-up of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes by the trustees.

Sex Offenders

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the current policy on, and residential facilities for, the treatment and rehabilitation of serious sex offenders under the age of 16.

Cathy Jamieson: There are three residential facilities in Scotland that provide specialist treatment and rehabilitation for young people of sixteen and under, who have committed a sexual offence or are displaying sexually aggressive behaviour. These are St Mary's Kenmure, Kibble and Geilsland.

  The Executive will announce shortly its response to the Expert Panel on Sex Offending report. This will include how we will take forward its recommendation that we review current provision in relation to assessment and intervention programmes and provision for this age group.

Student Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the Prime Minister's statement, in respect of student grants and tuition fees, that "students in Scotland pay as a result of the Scottish system" (House of Commons Official Report , 13 February 2002; Vol. 380, c. 201) and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Ms Wendy Alexander: We presume that the Prime Minister was referring to the Graduate Endowment scheme, introduced as part of the new student support arrangements from the current academic year.

  We explained, in the consultation document Helping Students, published in May 2000, that we intended to establish the endowment scheme "to create a fair but simple scheme that provides a contribution to the support of future students, from those who have benefited from a degree". We also explained that the endowment "will apply to all Scottish domiciled students in Scottish universities and colleges and to all EU students who graduate in Scotland", with exemptions covering around half of full-time students, who would otherwise be liable.

Telecommunications

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to discuss with Her Majesty's Government the possibility of the Office of Telecommunications establishing an office in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The 1984 Telecommunications Act, makes statutory provision for The Scottish Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (SACOT), to represent the interests of Scotland on committees of the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel). SACOT have an office in Scotland.

Tourism

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact will be on the Lochaber economy of the decision to reject plans for the £4.5 million Castle Tioram project.

Dr Elaine Murray: In his report on the public local inquiry into the application for scheduled monument consent to conserve Castle Tioram, the Reporter stated that the realisation of the project would not make the castle a national tourist attraction and the economic impact of the development would not be of national importance. However, given its fragility, he stated that the application would benefit the local economy. He also observed that similar benefits could accrue in terms of specialist trades and tourism under the consolidation approach.

Training

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the legal status will be of national training organisations as of 1 April 2002.

Ms Wendy Alexander: National Training Organisations (NTOs) will be de-recognised by government on 31 March 2002. They will be replaced by a smaller, stronger network of UK-wide Sector Skills Councils. Most NTOs will continue to function as legal entities beyond 31 March, with transitional funding primarily from the Department for Education and Skills, to continue essential functions pending the gradual introduction of Sector Skills Councils.

Transport

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial powers the Forth Estuary Transportation Authority will possess.

Lewis Macdonald: The authority will be tasked with developing a charging strategy, under the terms of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001. It will also be able to use tolling income to support wider road and public transport improvements and traffic management measures.

Transport

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance is planned to be provided to the Forth Estuary Transportation Authority.

Lewis Macdonald: None.

Transport

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what input the Forth Estuary Transportation Authority will have on planning and co-ordinating public transport provision within the authority's geographic area of responsibility.

Lewis Macdonald: The authority will comprise local authority representatives from the City of Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Kinross and West Lothian Councils. It will be the role of these representatives to ensure that the priorities, policies and charging strategy of the authority are consistent with the priorities and policies of its constituent authorities. Opportunity to input on planning and the co-ordination of public transport provision will also arise through the democratic procedures currently in place, through the duty placed on local authorities to consult and the requirements placed on the authority in the 2002 Order to consult widely on its charging strategy.

Transport

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers the Forth Estuary Transportation Authority will have in respect of varying the level of tolls charged on the Forth Road Bridge.

Lewis Macdonald: None. Any varying of tolls proposed by the authority would require the approval of Scottish ministers and secondary legislation.

Voluntary Sector

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been given to the Unemployed Voluntary Action Fund in each of the past five years, who its trustees are and what political affiliations they have.

Iain Gray: The Unemployed Voluntary Action Fund (UVAF) is a trust that provides grants to assist voluntary projects in Scotland. The following tables detail Scottish Executive funding to UVAF in each of the past five years. The Executive provides grant-in-aid to the fund for the administration of their Main Grants and Small Grants Schemes. UVAF also currently administers the Ethnic Minority Grant Scheme and the International Year of Volunteers Grant Scheme on the Executive's behalf.

  A list of UVAF trustees is also set out below. The Executive does not have information on the political affiliation of UVAF trustees.

  Scottish Executive Funding of UVAF

  Grant-in-aid

  


Financial Year


Amount (£)




1997-98


867,600




1998-99


867,600




1999-2000


867,600




2000-01


867,600




2001-02


872,600




  Ethnic Minority Grant Scheme

  


Financial Year


Amount (£)




1998-99


265,800




1999-00


275,600




2000-01


275,000




2001-02


277,057




  International Year of Volunteers Grant Scheme

  


Financial Year


Amount (£)




2001-02


210,000




  UVAF Trustees

  Susan Elsley - Convener

  Farkhanda Chaudry

  Carol Downie

  John Hawthorn

  John Knox

  Philomena de Lima

  Laurie Naumann

  Stuart McGregor.

Waste Management

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the current measures aimed at preventing fly-tipping and other unlawful dumping of rubbish in residential areas.

Ross Finnie: The Executive commenced a review of the effectiveness of litter and fly-tipping legislation on 21 February 2002. The review will consider whether the current legislation on litter and fly-tipping is effective and achieving its purpose, and also if it is being fully utilised by local authorities. The views of local authorities, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and other stakeholders are being sought. The review is expected to be completed by mid to late summer.

Waste Management

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend the current measures to prevent fly-tipping and other unlawful dumping of rubbish in residential areas.

Ross Finnie: The Executive will consider whether new measures are required, after it has completed its review of the effectiveness of litter and fly-tipping legislation, referred to in the answer given to question S1W-23273 today.

Waste Management

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether current measures allow local authorities to recover the cost of making good the damage done by fly-tipping, the abandoning of a vehicle or other unlawful dumping of rubbish, from the offender and, if so, what assessment has been made of their effectiveness.

Ross Finnie: Section 59(8) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and section 5(1) of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978, provide that local authorities can recover costs from offenders, for dealing with fly-tipped waste and abandoned vehicles respectively.

  Existing legislation regarding litter and fly-tipping is currently the subject of a wide-ranging review, the recommendations of which will be known in late summer. There are no current plans to assess the effectiveness, in terms of cost recovery, of the legislation relevant to abandoned cars.

Waste Management

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to tackle fly-tipping in rural areas.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has no such powers. Responsibility for dealing with fly-tipped material, irrespective of the type of land or area, rests with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the local authority in whose area the fly-tipping has taken place.

Water Industry

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications are for Scotland of the announcement by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on Tuesday 19 March 2002 about competition in the water industry in England and Wales.

Ross Finnie: The announcement has no direct bearing on the position in Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive has also been reviewing its plans to introduce a legislative framework to safeguard public health, the environment and social objectives in a more competitive environment. It has concluded that there remains a need for such a framework. However, further consideration of some complex issues is necessary and as a result the Executive has decided that provisions relating to the framework should not be included in the Water Environment and Water Services Bill that is due to be introduced in May.

World Trade Organisation

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the European Commission with regard to negotiations with the World Trade Organisation.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The regulation of international trade is a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry on trade issues including negotiations with the World Trade Organisation, and how these may impact on the Executive's responsibilities.